stirred-up love
by when-i-caught-myself
Summary: This is a collection of short-and-sweet stories (oneshots/drabbles) all about our favourite Ranger and knight, Will and Horace. Slash, of course.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is my first foray into writing stories for Ranger's Apprentice. I recently finished the series (and completely LOVED it!) I hope these are okay. :) **

**This was written inspired the iPod Shuffle challenge: choose a pairing/fandom (in this case, Horace/Will whom I have lovingly named Hill), put your iPod on shuffle, and write a short story (for as long as the song lasts) about that particular pairing/fandom based on the song. It was a lot of fun to do, and I hope you have as much fun reading them as I did writing them. Thanks!**

* * *

**Heart - Pet Shop Boys**

It was amazing.

Horace didn't remember when his heart started missing beats or his breathing got just a bit shaky whenever he saw his best friend, but it just seemed to start happening. Like a sequence of clockwork events, he could always expect that same exhilaration whenever Will was around.

* * *

**Broken Hearts, Torn Up Letters, and the Story of a Lonely Girl – Lostprophets**

It was an irrational feeling, he told himself. He felt jealous whenever he saw Horace and Evanlyn together, when he saw his friend talking and laughing with the pretty blonde princess.

Being jealous of _Horace_ would make more sense, Will thought. The irrational part came in when it was _Evanlyn_ he was jealous of. But it made him feel so...

He didn't know what it meant, why he suddenly had all these odd feelings he usually reserved for girls transferred over to his best friend.

His heart gave a desperate leap when he saw Horace enter the room. Will bit his lip, hoping that the luminescent blush that undoubtedly appeared on his cheeks would go unnoticed by the young warrior.

* * *

**Breathe Me - Sia Furler**

They'd been friends for so long—that was the problem.

Will longed to feel his arms around him, to hold him and warm him when it was cold, and never let him go.

But those arms belonged to Horace, his best friend. It wasn't right.

But he couldn't deny what he felt about him; it was too intense and felt too real to ignore.

He breathed out Horace's name, almost like a prayer, pushing the syllables past his lips.

Will sighed, closing his eyes. He had to tell him somehow.

* * *

**Babylon - Angus & Julia Stone**

Will leaned his head on the taller boy's shoulder, and Horace grinned to himself almost involuntarily. He didn't admit it, but he liked it when Will was close to him, especially like this. Missions often got lonely, and company was welcome. Especially Will's.

Will relaxed, resting against Horace's body. It felt wonderful, being with him, sitting in front of a blazing fire, mugs of hot coffee in their hands. He sighed contentedly, and was pleasantly surprised to feel the other boy encircling his waist with one arm.

* * *

**Miracle! – Paramore**

They broke apart, Will wide-eyed in shock, Horace grinning like a madman.

"Horace..." Will started, trailing off. "That was..."

"Amazing? I thought it was," he said brightly.

"I... you..." Will blinked. "Why?"

"I had my hopes up and decided to take a chance," he said. "It's a miracle I managed to get the nerve to do it."

* * *

**Day Too Soon - Sia Furler**

"It's so nice to finally be with you," Will said quietly. "It was so hard, trying to stay away for so long."

Horace looked at the smaller boy, his hair mussed and his skin flushed, and reached out across the bed to cup his jaw and pull him in for a kiss. He didn't really need to say much—after all, actions spoke louder than words.

"I feel like I've been running from something for all this time," Horace said after a moment's silence.

"Not anymore?" Will asked, grinning.

"No," Horace said, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. "I feel... safe, I suppose. With you."

* * *

**Bigger Than Big – Super Mal feat. Luciana**

"I feel inadequate now," Will complained.

"What?" Horace asked uncomprehendingly. He followed the path of Will's eyes. "_Oh_." He looked over at the other boy.

"There's not really a big difference," Horace said.

"There is," Will replied.

"Come on, Will," he said. "It's not that small. Besides, it'll get bigger when you—"

"Shut up, Horace," Will said, interrupting him and turning his face away so Horace wouldn't see the blush creeping up his neck. Horace just raised his eyebrows, wondering what bothered Will so much about it.

He looked down. It didn't seem particularly impressive.

He looked at Will's. It didn't have any distinguishing features, either, aside from the fact that it was slightly smaller than his own.

An unbidden thought had crossed his mind—how long would it be, he wondered, if he had an—

Then Horace banished the thought. It wasn't something he should even be thinking about, much less about Will.

* * *

**Need You Now – Lady Antebellum**

These cold, lonely nights were always the worst, Will thought.

He was on a mission again, and this time he had been forced to pitch his tent early because an impending storm had made itself known.

Now he was huddled inside, listening to rain pound on the canvas covering, nursing a rapidly cooling mug of coffee, with a sputtering candle lamp at his feet. Everything was in a state of dampness, and he was cold and alone.

I wish Horace were here, Will thought.

* * *

**Nescafe – Parokya ni Edgar**

"Would you like some coffee?"

Horace looked up from the book he had been reading at the sound of Will's voice calling him from the kitchen. The boy's head peeked out from behind the counter.

"Yes please, thanks Will."

Will smiled and prepared another serving. It was always good to spend time with your loved ones, especially with coffee on rainy days like this one. Horace had visited Castle Seacliffe to instruct the Battleschool apprentices in some sword drills and afterwards, visited Will in his cabin. They spent the day recounting their experiences since they had last seen each other, walking and exploring until the light rainstorm forced them indoors.

They treasured days like this, since they were often burdened with work, and didn't have much opportunity to see each other. Relaxing with a cup of coffee always helped melt their troubles away.

* * *

**Julius – Starfucker**

Will cracked open his eyes when the first slants of sunlight shone through the windows.

The first sight that greeted him was Horace, still asleep, facing him. The sunlight shone in stripes across his face and body, and bleached his blond hair to an almost white colour.

Will slowly reached out and placed his hand on the other boy's muscular arm. He didn't seem to notice, so Will scooted closer, feeling the warmth radiating from his body.

Horace woke to find Will's head nestled snugly under his chin, his hands on his back, and he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy in a tender embrace.

"Good morning," Will whispered.

"Good morning," Horace replied. He pulled back to see Will's face.

Will knew he would never get tired of seeing those amazing blue eyes. He could just get himself lost in them, feeling like he was falling.

* * *

**First Love – Adele**

"Horace, I'm sorry."

"Will... why?"

Will looked up at him. The look on his face was a mix of utter confusion and despairing sadness.

"I... Horace," he tried. "I can't go on like this. It—it's not there anymore."

"Will, please don't." In a fit of desperation, he stepped closer to Will and brazenly pressed his lips to his. When he pulled away, he saw that Will's eyes glistened, unless of course he was trying to cheat himself into thinking that.

"I'm sorry, Horace," Will repeated quietly, and with downcast eyes, he walked away.

* * *

**So there you go! Eleven short stories all about Horace/Will (Hill!) There isn't much about them on here... so I am adding my humble contribution right here. I'll probably be writing more of these, most likely still about Horace and Will, possibly individually as well. I'll see where it takes me. :)**

**But thank _you,_ dear reader, for dropping and stopping by to read this! I really appreciate it. :)**

**Please don't favourite/alert without reviewing. (Because I want to know why you liked it so much!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again beloved readers! :D Only four songs/stories this time... Each story's a bit longer than those in the last chapter, I'm trying to get myself to write longer. I also intentionally went beyond the time limit of each song, again because I want to write longer. Anyway, this chapter as a whole is pretty short... I'm halfway through my exam week right now, but afterwards will be summer (woot!) and I'll most likely have more frequent updates. Yay! **

**Anyway, sorry again for this chapter's shortness... exams have been draining me and I really want to post something for you guys, so here you go! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Torpedo – Eraserheads**

"Erm..."

"Yes?" Will prodded, trying to make sense of Horace's stuttering. "What is it?"

"I, er, want to ask you something," he said. "I... well, you... would you..." He bit his lip, his tongue stumbling over the words he was trying to say. Will nodded encouragingly, watching him with inquisitive brown eyes. Horace blinked, distracted.

"Will, would you… would you like... dammit," he cursed, giving up. "I'm sorry, Will, I'm such a dope," he mumbled, staring at his shoes and wishing the ground would swallow him up before he could embarrass himself further.

"Horace," the other boy said, and he looked up as Will lay a hand on his cheek. He blinked, and Will smiled, as if he already knew what Horace wanted to say. It made the young knight blush.

"It's all right," Will said, stepping closer to him. He tilted his head upwards to look Horace in the eye, still smiling, and pulled him in for a kiss. He whispered against his lips, "I'll see you at the cabin tonight."

* * *

**Heartbeat – Kopecky Family Band**

They had stumbled into Will's cabin at Seacliff that night, fumbling in the dim moonlight, feverishly taking off the other's clothes. When Will put his ear to Horace's chest, he could hear his heartbeat, beating steadily like a drum, feeling it rise and fall with his breath.

They fell into bed, Will's Ranger cloak discarded at the door, pieces of the minimal armour Horace had been wearing strewn around the floor. The next morning found them curled up into each other, huddled under a warm blanket to keep the chill off their bare skin. It was an unusually cold morning, but autumn was approaching with a cold front and bringing the cooler winds with it.

Will put one hand on Horace's chin, tilting his face downward to give him a good morning kiss. They smiled at the other, and Will shivered slightly as a gust of wind rattled the window.

"Let me get that," Horace said, and threw off the covers, flinching as the cold air hit his exposed body. He quickly crossed over to the opposite wall, closed the window, and strode back to the bed. He blew on his hands and rubbed them, the chill still seeping into his fingers.

Will took hold of his wrist and kissed his fingertips, his warm breath ghosting across his hands.

"It's a cold day, isn't it?" Will said. "We should stay in."

* * *

**Domino Dancing – Pet Shop Boys**

Horace couldn't be sure.

He always enjoyed spending time with Cassandra, and she with him, he knew that much. He also liked being with Will. He just didn't know whether the young Ranger reciprocated the same kind of feelings he held for him—_probably not_, Horace thought a tad bitterly. _He's got Alyss. And besides, we're both boys!_

He shook his head to clear his mind. He liked Cassandra, but he liked Will too. It was mightily confusing.

Of course, Cass was the obvious choice, being a girl, and the Princess to boot. Will was—well, he had no idea how people would receive the news that one of the King's knights was dating a Ranger. And that they were both male.

_Should I even tell him at all?_

It felt like a storm of emotion was raging within him, unsure of which way to turn, of who to love.

* * *

**Satellite Heart – Anya Marina**

He said he'd be back in three weeks. Now it was nearly twice that much and Horace was going out of his mind with worry. It was probably irrational to be so concerned, but he couldn't help it. He'd tried consoling himself by saying that Will was just taking longer than anticipated, because some unexpected factor had shown up or they lacked resources.

Still, he hadn't been able to sleep at night. Worrying about Will had kept him up and he was sorely tempted to go up to the King that morning and ask to be allowed to leave to search for the young Ranger. But he thought again… what if his arrival would just ruin things? Possibly upset a delicate setup for one of Will's plans? That obviously wouldn't be appreciated, especially since the mission was an incredibly important one. He hadn't divulged any details; he hadn't been allowed to. It was all highly confidential Ranger stuff.

It frustrated him so, these combined feelings of helplessness, distress, and desperation, not to mention not knowing what could possibly be happening to Will or even just where he could be. It was enough to drive any man mad. He felt like a satellite, drifting around aimlessly while searching for a purpose, for vindication. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to take his mind off it while he stayed here doing nothing while Will could be in danger. There were too many "maybe's" and "what-if's" for him to feel any assurance.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! My personal favourite out of these is the one I wrote for Heartbeat (the second one). ****Any comments, good or bad (but please make the latter constructive) are very much appreciated! :D**

**Please don't favourite/follow without reviewing (because I want to know why you liked it!)**


	3. Will Power

**This is just a short one. No songs this time, but the idea for this one came from my friend. She and I were talking about Will getting drunk and rambling about "Will power", so here is the result. **

* * *

"Will, I think you've had enough wine for tonight."

"Nonsense, Horace!" Will said loudly. He reached for the bottle.

"No," Horace said firmly, holding the bottle out of reach. "You're drunk enough."

Will clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I'll stay sober if I just employ mind over matter. That takes a lot of willpower." he paused, then grinned at his unintentional pun. "Ha! Hear that, Horace? It needs willpower! _Will_ power! Get it?" He laughed, sticking his face much closer to Horace's than was considered polite. "Because I'm _Will_. And it's called _Will_ power." His face screwed up slightly as he smiled unabashedly.

Horace sighed. "Will, I'm bringing you home." He stood up and helped Will to his feet.

Will kept on grinning. "Your place or mine?"

The young knight flushed slightly, which was only exacerbated by Will grabbing his hand and leaning in. Horace watched with wide eyes as Will put one hand on his cheek, said "Will power", and kissed him full on the lips, in full view of everyone in the tavern.

* * *

**Please don't favourite/alert without reviewing, because I want to know why you liked it!**


	4. Shovel Talk

**Hey guys! This is a oneshot as requested by paisley15: Halt giving Horace the shovel talk. I got inspired a few days ago and wrote this; I hope you like it! **

* * *

It was a bright, sunny day in Araluen and Halt had just woken up. Lady Pauline had left a few days earlier on a short mission, but already he missed her. His slight brooding was alleviated when he remembered that Will and Horace were coming to visit today; he was looking forward to seeing the two boys again.

That afternoon found the young Ranger and knight riding side-by-side to Castle Redmont to meet Halt. For the past few weeks, the two had been seeing more of each other and they had decided that they ought to tell, at the very least, Halt. That week, they were on vacation, and the following week promised a return to their hectic schedules at their respective fiefs. They agreed that this visit was probably going to be the only convenient opportunity to tell Halt about the two of them, who deserved to know first of all, either way.

When Will and Horace arrived, he greeted them with a half smile and a nod—tantamount to a hearty hug from the grizzled Ranger. He brought out the steaming mugs of coffee he'd prepared and offered two, which were eagerly accepted. When he invited them to sit, however, they refused.

"Halt... we have something important to tell you," Will started. As he said this, his hand reached for Horace's, who was standing next to him. Halt, ever vigilant, noticed how they entwined their fingers, and the resulting blushes on their cheeks. He raised his eyebrows, urging his former apprentice to go on.

Will took a deep breath and said, "We're together."

Halt nodded.

"I mean, not just platonically."

Halt nodded again, a slight question in his eyes. Will frowned slightly.

"I mean, as more than friends."

Halt rolled his eyes. "I _know_ what platonic means." He raised an eyebrow, and they caught his nonverbal query: _So what's the news?_

"We're together, Halt. Romantically." There. He'd said it explicitly. Halt couldn't possibly misinterpret _that_.

There was a moment of silence, in which Will and Horace grew increasingly anxious, while Halt was the picture of serenity, taking a long sip of coffee. Finally, he looked back up at them.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Er, well, yes," Horace answered. They were confused at Halt's lack of reaction.

He nodded again, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"What do you mean, _'is that all'_?" Will asked.

"I assumed you were going to tell me something I didn't already know," Halt said matter-of-factly.

"You knew?" Will exclaimed, his eyes widening. Halt shot him a look.

"I know the both of you," he started. "The moment you stepped in this room I noticed something different between the both of you. Then when you were standing there and holding hands, saying you had an announcement to make, I knew." He raised his eyes to the two younger men, who both looked fairly disconcerted. "I've been noticing small changes with you two since... hmm, about several weeks ago."

Will and Horace were now quite uncomfortable. "No one else knows... right? We're not exactly looking to tell the whole kingdom just yet..."

"Probably not," Halt mused. "Although with the way you two are currently carrying on, someone observant could catch on."

Will glanced up at Horace, who shrugged slightly. Halt let another moment of silence pass before he said, "Now that that's out of the way... Horace," the knight looked up at the mention of his name, "I'd like to talk to you. Just for a short while." Halt gave Will a meaningful look, and the younger Ranger left the room, after giving Horace a bright smile and an encouraging squeeze of the hand.

Once Will left, the atmosphere in the room changed slightly, becoming tense. Horace knew what was going to happen, and he also knew that he had had it coming when he and Will had decided to become official.

Halt looked at Horace, his expression unreadable. "Sit down." Unwilling to disobey, he quickly sat in the chair across from him.

Halt put down his coffee, giving him a serious look. "Horace," he said. The knight glanced up from his mug, eyes wide. "Yes?"

Halt did not want to waste words, so he said it straight. "Will is in love with you."

Horace, who hadn't been expecting such a statement, simply nodded hesitantly. Halt sighed. "Will is very serious about you, I can tell..." He paused as Horace grew paler, unsure if he wanted to hear what Halt had to say.

"I want you to know how much Will cares for you," Halt said. "I can't say that I saw it coming, exactly, but I am completely unsurprised. Now," Horace started at the change in his tone, "you _are_ serious about him, aren't you?"

"Y-yes," Horace finally managed. "I love Will very much."

"Of course you do," Halt said firmly. "And if you didn't—if you broke his heart, or hurt him in any way..." His eyes narrowed, and suddenly Horace remembered why Halt had scared him so much when he was younger.

The Ranger's voice became low, quiet, and deadly serious.

"If you ever break his heart, Horace Altman, I will not hesitate to put an arrow through yours and feed what's left of you to the dogs. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," Horace said hurriedly, nodding frantically. The way Halt had deduced their relationship so quickly had unnerved him and, coupled with his threat (which Horace suspected wasn't an exaggeration), served as a very effective reminder of Halt's intimidating aura.

Halt stared at him critically, but was apparently satisfied. "Good." His expression and posture relaxed, and he picked up his now cold mug of coffee. "Tell Will to come back inside, won't you?"

Grateful to take a temporary leave from the Ranger's presence, Horace quickly stood and let himself out. Halt smirked to himself. He'd been wondering when those two were finally going to announce themselves to him. If they thought he wouldn't notice how frequently they seemed to be visiting each other, as well as how they had been acting, he might've been insulted.

The two younger men re-entered the room, Horace still somewhat pale, while Will looked as happy as ever.

"What did you say to him, Halt?" the young Ranger asked, glancing at Horace with some concern. "He was very pale when he came out."

"Nothing, Will, just a reminder," Halt said, waving away his question. Will shrugged, knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of Halt when he was determined not to say anything.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! **

**Please don't favourite/alert without reviewing. (Because I want to know why you liked it!)**


End file.
